Govt fails to release 2nd installment for Nakodar school repairs

The state finance department has failed to release the second installment of Rs 47 lakh for the repair and renovation of the unsafe part of the building of the local government girls senior secondary school, even though the school education department secretary had filed an affidavit before the Punjab and Haryana high court in this regard on November 20 last year.

In the affidavit, he had said that the finance department had already released the first installment of Rs 47 lakh, and the second installment would be released in February this year.

Petitioner in the case, former councillor Aditya Bhatara demanded immediate release of the second installment of `47 lakh, as promised by the government. In a representation to the chief secretary, he said that executive engineer Panchati Raj, who was constructing the building, had also submitted a utilisation certificate to the school education department, and urged release of more money to complete it.

Bhatara said if no grant was released within a month, he would be forced to file a contempt petition in the Punjab and Haryana high court, which had ordered the release of funds.

School education department secretary Hussan Lal had filed an additional affidavit before a bench headed by justice Mahesh Grover that the sanctioned amount of `94 lakh would be released in two equal installments.